“In Chinese market there is a clear opportunity to generate value through initiatives as SSP,” said Jose Antonio Camposano, Executive President of the National Chamber of Aquaculture, Ecuador. “There is a market segment who will no longer accept any product without asking questions, especially when it comes to a staple ingredient of the diets such as shrimp. They have seen the news and know the risks posed by low-quality, antibiotic-laden shrimp, and are now demanding something better, which is where SSP comes in.”

SSP Product Criteria
(Photo: sustainableshrimppartnership.org) ►

"We want the consumer to be more educated and better informed on the products they are purchasing... Our goal is to gather not just the product, but all information that goes along with it to build up demand and trust," John Liu of Alibaba's supply chain Win-Chain.

The SSP was formed with a very clear mandate – to provide consumers with the choice to purchase the highest quality farmed shrimp -- measured by accreditation to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Standard --, full traceable back to the farm, and grown without the use of antibiotics.

“At a time when there are more FDA and EU rejections of shrimp than ever before, an increasing use of antibiotics across aquaculture production, and a lack of trust in product sourcing and labelling, we want to step out of this trajectory towards falling standards and hidden practices, and instead offer a product which is not only premium quality, but meets the health and environmental requirements we know consumers are now looking for,” said Camposano.

Focusing on the evolving Chinese market, it was acknowledged that with rapid growth of the middle-class and a merging of old and new traditions, Chinese consumers are looking for ways to enhance their lives, and the food they choose is no exception.

“Consumers have more access to information than ever before, and with the growth of e-commerce websites they also have more buying power than ever before,” added Avrim Lazar, Sustainability Consultant. “Purchasing premium products is not just about ensuring high-quality and safe foods for your family, it's about making a statement about who you are as an individual, and demonstrating that both health and responsibly produced food are important lifestyle factors which represent your personal values.”